Jun.29 (GMM) Africa is “the most important place” that should be added to the Formula 1 race calendar. That is the view of Lewis Hamilton, who has been heavily involved in the new Black Lives Matter movement that is sweeping America and the world. Africa is the only habitable continent missing from the sport’s annual […]
Category: Recent stories
No Renault freeze for McLaren-bound Ricciardo
Jun.29 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo will not be locked out of Renault’s car development program in 2020, team boss Cyril Abiteboul insists. Ricciardo will move from the French works team to McLaren for 2021, but Abiteboul said he is not worried the Australian will take secrets with him. “McLaren has to use both of its development […]
Corona outbreak means F1 teams could miss Austria
Jun.29 (GMM) Ferrari has admitted teams may need to miss this weekend’s Austrian GP if there is a coronavirus outbreak. Laurent Mekies, the Maranello team’s sporting boss, told Sky Italia that the two sides of the Ferrari garage will be divided into two anti-corona “bubbles”. “In the event that someone has a symptom, they will […]
Wolff expects ‘tight fight’ with Red Bull
Jun.29 (GMM) 2020 is shaping up as a two-man fight between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. “I would put my money on Hamilton, but it certainly won’t be an Oktoberfest for him,” said former F1 driver and president of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, Alex Wurz. “It will certainly be closer than last year,” he […]
Ecclestone slams Carey over racism controversy
Jun.29 (GMM) Former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has aimed fire at his successor amid a new movement of racial politics within the sport. Both Formula 1 and its six-time world champion Lewis Hamilton reacted with astonishment after Ecclestone, 90, said during an interview with CNN that “in many cases black people are more racist than […]
Alfa Romeo holds fire on 2021 driver decision
Jun.26 (GMM) Alfa Romeo has no plans to make an early decision about its driver lineup for 2021. Other teams, including Ferrari and McLaren, got in early by locking out their new lineups without a single race having taken place in 2020 so far. Alfa Romeo will not follow suit. “We are in a different […]
Expiring contract ‘nothing to worry about’ – Bottas
Jun.26 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas insists he has “nothing to worry about” despite heading into the delayed 2020 season without a contract in place for next year. Mika Hakkinen, part of the Finn’s management team, insists that the Mercedes driver has “prepared himself to a very high physical and psychological level” to take on Lewis Hamilton […]
McLaren switch decision was ‘not easy’ – Ricciardo
Jun.26 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo says “time will tell” if he has made the right decision to switch to McLaren for 2021. On the face of it, it is a sideways move for the Australian, who will continue to race for the works Renault team this year. Ricciardo told the Australian Grand Prix Corporation podcast In […]
Mercedes’ Cowell could switch to Aston Martin
Jun.26 (GMM) Mercedes’ departing engine guru Andy Cowell could be moving to Aston Martin, according to Germany’s Auto Bild. Last week, Mercedes’ works team announced that after 16 years, Cowell is leaving his post in July but he will “consult to Mercedes-Benz AG on a major future project” until 2021. “Now is the right time […]
Spa not going back on ‘ghost race’ plan
Jun.26 (GMM) Spa-Francorchamps will not alter its plans to host the Belgian GP this year without spectators. Dutch regional newspaper Het Belang van Limburg reports that although mass events were forbidden in Belgium at the time promoter Spa Grand Prix did the ‘ghost race’ deal with Liberty Media, things have now changed. The suggestion now […]
China ‘fixed’ on extended 2020 calendar – Marko
Jun.26 (GMM) China has “fixed” itself a place on the 2020 corona crisis race calendar, according to Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko. Marko, a top Red Bull official who is close to Dietrich Mateschitz, was instrumental in getting the 2020 season up and running next week in Austria. Now, F1 is planning the second part […]
Latifi buying Williams would be ‘terrific’
Jun.26 (GMM) Williams will on Friday reveal a “sharp” and “smart” revised livery for its 2020 car. It comes after the struggling British backmarker, which is for sale, suddenly lost the backing of its title sponsor Rokit. The phone company is being linked with a move to world champions Mercedes. Ahead of the reveal of […]
Bottas, Verstappen to attack Hamilton – Hakkinen
Jun.26 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas and Max Verstappen could put up a real challenge to reigning six-time world champion Lewis Hamilton in 2020. That is the view of former double world champion Mika Hakkinen, who is part of the management team looking after Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate Bottas. “Valtteri is in super shape and has prepared himself […]
McLaren will not freeze Sainz out in 2020
Jun.26 (GMM) Carlos Sainz will not be frozen out by McLaren in 2020. That is the word from the British team’s supremo Zak Brown, even though Spaniard Sainz is switching to Ferrari at the end of the season. Normally, a move like that would result in the team shutting its departing driver out of knowing […]
Ferrari plays down ’30hp’ Austria car upgrade
Jun.26 (GMM) Ferrari says reports of a major car upgrade ahead of the resumption of racing in Austria next weekend were exaggerated. Italian media in particular claimed that, compared to the Melbourne-spec car, the Red Bull Ring-specification 2020 Ferrari will have a slimmer nose, stiffer gearbox, new rear suspension and an engine with 30hp more. […]
F1 ready for full season of ‘ghost races’ – Abiteboul
Jun.25 (GMM) Cyril Abitebul thinks Formula 1 should prepare for a whole season of ‘ghost races’ in 2020. However, the Renault team boss is hoping for the best. “We are preparing for a closed season, obviously with several economic scenarios for the circumstances, but we hope to be able to welcome a very small number […]
F1 preparing to announce second part of ‘corona calendar’
Jun.25 (GMM) Formula 1 looks set to soon announce the second part of its 2020 ‘corona calendar’. Amid reports of an October race in Montreal, Canadian GP chief Francois Dumontier thinks various non-European races will be added to that schedule. “I think the idea is to be able to announce the second part of the […]
Canada not ready to confirm October race date
Jun.25 (GMM) Organisers of the Canadian GP are not ready to confirm that a race in Montreal will definitely take place in 2020. There have been reports that an October date, pairing Canada with Austin, has been set for the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve’s 2020 race. “We can’t confirm that,” a race spokesman told us. “We […]
Doctor says Zanardi has ‘very bad eye injury’
Jun.25 (GMM) A doctor treating Alex Zanardi has admitted the former F1 driver’s vision could be affected by his hand-cycling crash. Italian Zanardi, who lost his legs in a 2001 Champ Car crash, is still in a coma with serious facial and head injuries in the Santa Maria alle Scotte di Siena in Italy. We […]
F1 manufacturers could say ‘goodbye’ – Schumacher
Jun.24 (GMM) Ralf Schumacher is worried about the future of Germany’s national representation in Formula 1. Former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone thinks the looming demise of Sebastian Vettel’s career is connected with the end of Formula 1 on free-to-air television in Germany after 2020. Quadruple world champion Vettel is the last German driver on the […]